June 30, 2006

off to the beach for my first time. hope i don't get too cranky with the heat and sand. i like my temperatures just right and naps in my bed.. so we'll see if i make it through today okay. tomorrow i am 4 months old, and i am sure my mother will post pictures and tell you all those little details that she is so proud of. :)bye!elsie xoxoxox

June 29, 2006

my sweet sister in law, rachael and her family are in town visiting. so my mother in law has 7 little munchkins running around her house. we've been busy hanging out with them. it's been incredibly yukky hot lately so lots of air condition going on. nice to just hang--trying to make the most of each day before sunday comes and they are gone again. :(
on tuesday, chris and i celebrated our 8th anniversary. i am so happy to be married to this guy. my best friend. i can't believe it's only been 8 years.. (ok, 10 with dating) i don't like thinking of my life pre-him. he's my little safety and i didn't feel complete until there was him. sappy i know. but so true.
and this girl: we got a few clips for the mohawk. :) and this is what she looks like with the little rubberband in. i love it.. it just won't stay in for long.

sorry for the fuzzy bad pic...but is it really bad? look at that cute smile! :)

June 25, 2006

is in full force. :) it is naturally up like that daily! and we get so many comments on it. sometimes i feel like i should put something in there to make it have a little mohawk control but other times i look at it, and it is just so her! i want little ribboned covered clips for her but i can't find any i like. her hair will hold little rubber bands for like 5 minutes. her hair is so fine that it wiggles right out.
anyways- here she is laughing at her siblings. she LOVES watching them. i am so glad she has them. they are total entertainment right now. :)

June 22, 2006

the kids purged their room and had a yard sale! or, at least they tried. we didn't get a whole lot of traffic, being that it was a wednesday afternoon... i told them we will try again on saturday. but they did get a few customers and made over 10 bucks.

lots of waiting.. otter pops..and a very enthusiastic caleb. he is going to be one heck of a salesman or something when he grows up. he was waving down cars... chasing them as they passed us on the street.. i was totally LAUGHING. he is so cute. anyways, so glad to get this stuff out. they have fewer toys and we are good with that. we didn't NEED that many toys. that bin alone makes me want to do cartwheels that it's out of the house. yay! i told chris that it's just a little window of peace without toys... it won't be long until elsie is allllll into toys. oh no! i'm not saying i don't like my kids to have toys-- but it's hard to stay on top of. and if you are like me, you don't/can't/won't keep up with it. so downsize... keep what you will really use... what is special to you... :) now if i could translate that into my scrap area that would be good too. :)

June 18, 2006

Great article in the National Review today on husbands and fathers...if you're either one of these, or married to one, read it.

I’d like to make the case that the most important thing fathers can do
for their children is to love their mother. And likewise, among the
many things mothers do for their children, one of the most important is
that mothers love their children’s father.

I grew up in a home where my father showed my mother the UTMOST respect. To this day he calls her his 'beautiful bride.' In return, my mother lifted him up, never passing on an opportunity to praise him. In this I felt a wonderful sense of order, and an unmistakable sense of safety. There is nothing I cherish more in my role as father than climbing into bed with my kids in the pitch of night, and making them feel safe. My heart aches, particualrly on father's day, for the millions of kids who ride out the night without the hero to make them feel ok.

Most men, with an insignificant number of exceptions, are capable of
this heroic loyalty. We women can call this out of our men. We don’t
achieve this by nagging. We certainly don’t achieve it by competing
with them over who makes the most money, or by keeping score with them
on who does the most household chores. We need to build them up, as St.
Paul says. Watch them sit up straighter and taller when we appreciate
and admire them.

My success as a father begins where Jamie's love ends, and this is the case for all fathers. We're husbands first, and cherished husbands make for great fathers.

June 16, 2006

she has reached another milestone. today was elementary school promotion. the ceremony was filled with songs, speeches, a band performance... everyone was so organized, they did a beautiful job. we completely adore our kid's school. kira has had such a positive experience with her teachers and school staff- we are so proud of her. i can't believe how quick those years went. it's crazy. i can't even explain how this day made me feel.. you find yourself picturing the future and remembering the past all in a matter of moments.. it's unbelieveable. and just to know that you are a part of that.. that you get to witness the everyday of it all... i am so thankful. throughout the ceremony- even the second i snapped this picture, i found my eyes welling up with tears and i feared that i would not be able to stop... that there was no way i could control myself, i was going to lose it and cry like a baby. i know i am a sap, but this really topped my list as one of the most proud moments. and it was only 5th grade. i am going to be a wreck at high school graduations, weddings, etc. (it's late.. they are all tucked in bed... i am fully aware of how mushy this post is :) )

June 14, 2006

this is how she usually wakes up from a nap... happy, relaxed, chatty. she will stay in her crib and roll around (not totally around, just half rolls) and talk to me and her mobile and toys. i love it. the last few days she has been taking short naps and then being grumpy in between naps. it's funny how unroutine of a person i am, but this girl is SO routine. you take her out of it and she is not a happy camper. so miss nonroutine-me wants nothing but a routine to make her happy.

anyone know why my file in photoshop would be showing these pics crisp and yum and just blah(colorwise) on the web?

June 12, 2006

this girl has a new book. she has been inspiring me for a long time now... and i am so giddy that i got to be a part of this project. what i love about ali's work is that every page is so different. that she can come up with such unique things over and over and over again. it's like a whole sort of freshness that i love about her. i cannot get enough!

so i copied annie with this post... except that i had caleb go through and find himself. :)

all of the other contributors did an amazing job...and ali gives you so much in here. it's a total steal for 20 bucks! i completely devoured her first book... this one is awesome too...it is so good, you guys. you will not be disappointed! a whole book about patterned paper-- my favorite supply... yay!

June 08, 2006

from my desk to see this:
i could get into a long emotional thing about the last few days with caleb at home with her before he starts kinder...how it's so sweet to see the 2 of them together...my last 2 babes...how they amaze me...but you already know all that.
mom+moment like this= super gush.

June 06, 2006

our firstborn. our first daughter. our tween. she turns eleven today. of course we can't believe it! i remember so much about her birth... the baby days... all the newness of her. i can almost smell it. she is finishing up elementary school in a few weeks and off to the big middle school...and is so excited. she has such enthusiasm...it makes us proud! she is an awesome sister and a great helper to me. we love her dearly. chris helped set this blog up for her...to get her reading and reviewing.. to keep her in touch with her friends. she is very excited! we have this tradition where the birthday person gets to pick a birthday dinner.. anywhere they want to go.. and she chose to grill at home.. steaks, green giant vegetables and mashed potatoes. it's going to be a great day. we love you kira soleil!